Piano or organ bench.



, PATENTED NOV. 17, 1903.

D. SGHUSTEK.

PIANO OE ORGAN BENCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. s, 1902.

2 SHEETSSHBBT 1.

N0 MODEL.

- THE Nowmsyzrzns co. wmaumo" msummou, o. c.

' No. 744,243. PATENTBD NOV. 17, 1903.

D. SOHUSTEK.

PIANO 0R ORGAN BENCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. a, 1902.

no menu.

2 shuts-sum z.

ivb. 744,245.

UNITED" STATES Fatented November 17, 1909;.

. PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL soI-IUsrEK, OF CllIOAGO, ILLINoIs, ssIe oIa To HERBERT L. ANDREWS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

PlANO OR ORGAN BENCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 744,243, dated November 17, 1903.

Application filed February 3, 1902. Serial No. 92.415. (No model.)

piano or organ benches, and refers more specifically to animproved construction which is adapted to be folded into collapsed form; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheaply constructed, neat, ornamental, and convenient device of the character referred to which is so constructed as to be rigid when in operative adjustment, but is nevertheless of light and ornamental appearance.

To the above ends the invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and the same will be more readily understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is abottom plan view with the parts in operative position. Fig. 4 is a side or edge elevation with the leg frames collapsed, and Fig. 5 is aview similar to Fig. 3 with the parts collapsed as shown in Fig. 4. v p

Referring to said drawings, 1 designates as a whole the bench-top, which may be of any suitable construction and which is provided at points near each end,upon its under side, with transverse bars or frame-pieces 2, which are desirably and as shown herein arranged fiush with the marginal trimmers or molding-pieces 3 of the stool. Fitting within the angles formed by the juncture of said frame-pieces 2 with the under side of the bench-body are two pairs of clips or socket members, as 4 4 and 4 4, which are desirably screwed or otherwise secured both to the lower surface of the bench-board and to the inner side surface of the respective frame-pieces 2.

The lower ends of said socket members are extended slightly beyond the lower edges of the frame-pieces 2 and returned or bent back upon themselves to form staple-like sockets 5, (see Fig. 4,) adapted to receive the upper end portions of end frame-standards, (designated as a whole 6 and 7, respectively.) In the most approved embodiment these end fram e-standards are of skeleton construction, each being to this end formed of two members of rod metal shaped into the ornamental configuration here shown and rigidly united with each other by pairs of cast cross frame clamping members, (designated 8 and 9, respectively.) The upper end portions 10 of each leg-frame are engaged with the respective socketmembers 4 and 4 in such manner as to be capable of hinge motion therein, so that the leg-frames may be folded toward each other and against the under side of the bench, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. The cross frame members 8 and 9 are desirably of ornamental form, as shown, and each cross frame member consists of a pair of substantially similar members, arranged to meet each other face to face in a plane coincident with the central plane of the leg-frame, as best shown in Fig. 3, the two members of each cross-frame being united by means of clamping screws or bolts inserted therethrough, as indicated at 11 and 12. The meeting faces of the pairs of cross frame members are grooved or recessed to receive the opposite halves of the rod members, and said frame members are likewise grooved in their meeting faces to receive a plurality of vertical frame members or rods 13. If preferred,these latter rods may be made of wood or analogous light material, inasmuch as their principal function is to make the frame as a whole more ornamental and substantial in appearance. Furthermore, when made of wood the cross frame members which embrace the same may be clamped more certainly into bearing with each of the several rods as well as the main side frame rods, thereby insuring rigidity of the structure and avoiding all tendency of any of the parts becoming loose, so that they might rattle. As a minor feature of improveshaped as to securely hold a rubber cushionblock, the lower ends of the rods 10 being to this end extended oppositely from each other and formed into circular eyes 15, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

16 and 17 respectively designate a pair of brace members which are interlocked with each other and with the leg-frames in such manner as to hold the latter in rigid relation to each other and perpendicular to the benchtop. Said brace members are preferably also of rod metal and are of peculiar construction, each member being provided at its lower end with an open hooked portion 18, which extends through an eye 19, formed upon the lower edge of the lower frame member 9, centrally of the latter, as best indicated in Figs. 5 and 2, while its opposite or upper end is provided with a right-angled lug portion 20, arranged to engage an eye member 21, secured to the under surface of the bench-top, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The two brace members extend diagonally across each other, as shown clearly in Fig. 1, and at their points of intersection they are given one or more turns around each other-2'. 6., they are intertwisted so that they are made rigid with each other-and, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 3, the eye members 21 are oppositely disposed, and the lug portions 20 of the brace members likewise extend in opposite directions and into engagement with the eye members. These eye members and the lugs of the brace members are so disposed as to hold the brace members under tension against each other, each brace member being held by the opposite into tensioned bearing with its eye member. This arrangement not only insures that the parts will not become accident-ally disengaged, but also prevents any tendency of the parts rattling or creaking. The rod metal of which the brace members is constructed has SUfilClOlll) resiliency to permit the lug portions 20 to be withdrawn from the eyes without permanently distorting said brace members, whereupon they may be disengaged at their intcrtwisted points of intersection and thereafter unhooked from the respective end frames, thus permitting the latter to be folded down into the collapsed position shown in Fig. 4. In this connection also it may be mentioned that the brace members, being substantial counterparts of each other, may be folded side by side and themselves nested with the collapsedleg-frames,the whole structure being thus reduced to a most compact and convenient form fol storage or'shipment.

The operation of the device has been fully set forth in connection with the description of its construction, and repetition of this operation would therefore be entirely superfluous.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the details of construction may be modified without departing from the invention, and I do not, therefore, limit myself to such details of construction except to the extent that they are made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a bench of the character described, the combination of a bench top or body, a pair of leg-frames pivotally attached to the respective ends thereof so as to fold longitudinally of the bench and intersecting brace members detachably united With said bench-body and the respective leg-frames, substantially as described.

2. In a bench of the character described, the combination of abench top or body, apair of leg-frames pivotally attached to the respective ends thereof so as to fold longitudinally of the bench and intersecting and intcrtwisted brace members detachably united with said bench-body and the respective leg-frames, substantially as described.

3. In a bench, of the character described, the combination with a bench top or main body, of a pair of leg-frames pivotally connected with the respective end portions thereof so as to fold toward each other, and apair of brace-rods arranged to extend diagonally from the under side of the bench-body to the lower portion of the opposite leg-frame, and means for detachably uniting said brace members with the members of the bench comprising eyes mounted upon the under surface of the bench-body, and other eyes formed upon the lower portions of the leg-frames, said brace members being arranged in intersectin g relation to each other and held in engagement with the eyes upon the bench-body, each by the tension of one brace member acting upon the other.

4. In a bench of the character described, the combination with a bench top or main body, of a pair of leg-frames pivotally connected with the respective end portions upon transverse axes so as to fold toward each other, a pair of brace-rods each arranged to extend diagonally from the under side of the bencl1-body,near one end thereof, to the lower portion of the opposite leg-frame, and means for detachably uniting said brace members with the members of the bench comprising sockets upon the bench-body, and upon the lower portions of the leg-frames respectively, said brace members being arranged in intersecting relation to each other, and intertwisted at their points of intersection and held in engagement with the sockets, each by the tension of one brace member acting upon the other.

- DANIEL SCIIUSTEK. Witnesses:

ALBERT II. GRAVES, FREDERICK C. Goonwm. 

